Page 86 - 2021 March 15th Fine Chinese Paintings and Works of Art, Bonhams NYC New York
P. 86
Fig. 1 Fig. 2
Fig. 3
The sale of the entire stock from the three US. stores of Yamanaka In our poem, the Qianlong Emperor praises the beauty and fineness
& Company (New York, Boston and Chicago), was offered under the of the pillow, describing its whiteness, shiny surface, and its jade-like
supervision of the Alien Property Custodian of the United States of strength and firmness and expressing his great admiration for the
America, during the Second World War. The item, illustrated as lot 715, artistic sophistication that the Song artists achieved. More interestingly,
was catalogued as a ‘porcellanous pillow of Yu-yao ware bearing on perhaps, the emperor even imagined having conversations with
one side an ode composed by the Emperor Ch’ien-lung. Length-8”, ancient sages while sleeping on the pillow. The poem is followed by the
Sung Dynasty’ (See Figs. 1-3). Imperial designation and date.
See also a letter (Fig. 4) from the (then) Curator of Chinese Paintings at The poem on our pillow reads:
the National Palace Musum, Taipei, Na Chih-Liang to Rosalind Ching 枕石不如流,漱流不如石,瓷枕堅且潔,堪贈如茲客,
Pastor in 1974, with regard to the calligraphic poem on her pillow. 既質玉之質,復白雪之白,磨涅不磷緇,拂拭多光澤,
This at least gives us a terminus ante quem for the pillow entering the 恍挹神仙人,精神盍內積,豈伴窈窕女,粉黛汙顏色,
Pastor collection. 可薦床之東,亦宜牖以北,張氏榴應羞,錢家石豈特,
虛堂夏午間,松濤泛幽席,竭此夢羲皇,古風如可即。
乾隆丙寅御題 「乾」、「隆」。
It is recorded in the Siku Quanshu, vol 31 (See Fig. 5).
84 | BONHAMS